Mastercard

As Russia continues its invasion into Ukraine, Visa and Mastercard have blocked several Russian banking services, restricting transactions for many everyday people in Russia. “The Hash” discusses the weaponization of financial institutions, drawing attention to cryptocurrency’s independence from centralized entities.

1. März 2022

Ethereum software firm ConsenSys has launched “ConsenSys Rollups” with the help of Mastercard’s engineering team, enabling expansion on both the Ethereum mainnet and for private use. “The Hash” team discusses the latest move bringing Ethereum to the forefront with large banking corporations and what it means for Mastercard to experiment with scaling solutions.

17. Dez. 2021

John Wu, President of Ava Labs, best known for building the “layer 1” Avalanche blockchain, discusses the outlook for layer 1 tokens and the wider crypto markets. This comes as gas fees on “layer 2” solution Ethereum remain near all-time highs. Meanwhile, Ava Labs has been chosen for Mastercard’s Crypto Accelerator Program.

9. Dez. 2021

Crypto market cap breaks US$3 trillion mark. Mastercard offers crypto payment cards in partnership with APAC crypto platforms. Blockchain commodity platform, TradeGo, was established. We’ll have more on those stories and other news shaping the cryptocurrency and blockchain world in this episode of “The Daily Forkast.”

9. Nov. 2021

Mastercard and digital asset platform Bakkt are teaming up to allow merchants and banks to build cryptocurrency into their offerings. The two companies plan to also shake up the way consumers can collect loyalty rewards. "The Hash" hosts discuss the development as a possible big step forward in bringing stablecoins and other cryptocurrencies to a wider market.

25. Okt. 2021

Payments giant Mastercard has bought CipherTrace, a firm that scans blockchains for illicit transactions, to expand its crypto capabilities. CipherTrace CEO Dave Jevans discusses insights into the surprise acquisition following a $27 million raise in June. "We saw a real synergy to bring these two companies together to bring crypto to the mainstream," Jevans said. Plus, his take on crypto's privacy and security concerns.

9. Sept. 2021

Mastercard has acquired CipherTrace in a surprise deal announced Thursday, enabling the payments giant to track over 900 cryptocurrencies through the crypto analytics firm and extending its digital assets capabilities. "The Hash" panel discusses the acquisition as a potential threat to trust and security within the crypto economy.

9. Sept. 2021

Payments giant Mastercard announced the acquisition of crypto intelligence company CipherTrace to enhance its crypto capabilities. CoinDesk’s Nikhilesh De discusses the move, explaining why he thinks “this is clearly a sign of more to come.” Plus, what to make of the SEC’s relationship with Coinbase and former crypto-friendly regulator Brian Quintenz joining VC firm a16z.

9. Sept. 2021

Mastercard’s Raj Dhamodharan and Paxos’ Walter Hessert discuss their partnership enabling more banks and crypto companies to offer card programs, helping crypto holders spend their digital assets anywhere Mastercard is accepted.

23. Aug. 2021

Investors keep a close watch on Ethereum’s London upgrade. India launches e-RUPI digital payment vouchers, and Australia’s Coinjar partners with Mastercard to launch a crypto card. We’ll have more on that story and other news shaping the cryptocurrency and blockchain world in this episode of “The Daily Forkast.”

4. Aug. 2021